Beggar menace continues toplague city railway station

The claims of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) of keeping a check on illegal vendors and beggars on trains seem to be falling flat.

Despite the fact that over 50 RPF and GRP personnel have been deputed to check the menace, beggars pestering the passengers at the Ludhiana railway station is a common sight.

Beggars can often be spotted lurking on the foot-over bridges and on the railway station premises, especially at the time of arrival and departure of trains, such as Shatabdi Express, Rajdhani Express.

As soon as passengers arrive, beggars start hording the platforms on the station and chasing passengers, even as policemen watch, reflecting the apathetic attitude of the railway authorities towards the problem.

Gurmeet Singh, a passenger, said, “The railway authorities claim to provide best facilities to commuters, but they are not even able to remove beggars from platforms who continue to beleaguer us for money. This makes it harrowing for those waiting for their trains.”

When contacted, RPF post commandant Yashwant Singh admitted to the beggar menace on the railway station, but claimed that they had started a drive to remove them from the platforms. But, they return after every few days, he said, adding that they were planning to depute a few cops to check the menace.